We both sit in the ruins of the school, waiting for Helena to wake up. We could’ve left her for Fury—the contractors have moved on by now—but it’s not safe with her unconscious. Baron insisted that she’d be safer if we waited until she woke up, and I’m inclined to agree.

He hasn’t moved from that spot since he felt her pulse. He has his arms wrapped around her possessively, like a dog with a bone. It’s not unusual for him, he likes his things, but I’ve never seen him cry. He’s not immune to it like I am, but I’ve never seen him freely cry in front of me before, not like that. It’s…strange, seeing him get so willingly emotional over someone who can’t even see it. Isn’t that why someone cries? So someone can see it?

I don’t understand and I’m not going to try to. If he wants to cry over her, he can.

I finish tying the cloth around my shoulder. It’s charred, but it’s not like I need the sleeves. With any luck, Fury will find us soon and we can get out of here.

I turn back from my spot in the doorway and he’s fast asleep. He has her head pulled into his chest, both breathing in sync with each other. Probably better if I don’t wake him up yet. Smoke inhalation is exhausting without the crying fits.

She was dead, though. It wasn’t some fake out. She was gone, and we have no idea for how long. Even if she does wake up, there’s no guarantee she’ll be the same. She was starved of oxygen for who knows how long.

The thought gives me an uncomfortable feeling in my gut, but I don’t know what. It’s the same feeling when we both saw she died. I don’t know what I felt. It’s like something in my chest snapped, broke apart like a tendon tearing near my heart and giving me this empty pain that I’d only felt once before. It’s crawling up my skin like a disease I can’t get rid of. It’s under my skin, in my bones and unshakeable, and it’s because she died. This weird feeling like I died with her when she did. Is that possible?

Whatever feeling this is, I don’t want it. It’s consuming, like the poison she was back in the mines but there’s no mission this time. There’s nothing I want from her, not tangibly.

So why do I still want her?

Baron stirs, drawing my attention back to him.

“Silas,” he mumbles.

I turn back inside the doorway, sitting opposite of them. “How is she?”

He looks down at her, his eyes checking over her features. “She’s fast asleep.”

I watch her as she stirs, moaning softly before settling back into his chest and wrapping her arms around him, hugging him close.

“That’s the second time we almost died because of her,” I say.

Baron shifts uncomfortably, peeling her arms away from his torso and setting her next to him.

“Are you having second thoughts?” He asks, stretching his limbs.

Second thoughts. I should be. This has no purpose, no benefit for me or for Baron, and yet I saved her leg for her, I went into the church for her, and I’m sitting here, watching her sleep instead of going after Alastor.

“No,” I say simply.

Baron nods.

“Fury’s not far. She’ll be safe with them.”

“She’s not going with Fury.”

His brows push together, confusion written on his face. “Why?”

Helena moans softly in response. She mumbles incoherently in her sleep before rolling over and wrapping her arms around Baron’s leg. Baron stiffens as she clings to me, but eventually he places a hand on her head, stroking her hair as she falls back asleep again.

I turn away to suppress a laugh. Okay. That was kind of cute.

“I don’t think you’ve let anyone touch you like that since Ari died,” I comment.

Baron’s gaze immediately turns to the woven bracelet on his wrist, like he’d forgotten about it until now. He sighs.

“What are we doing, Silas?” He whispers. “This isn’t a part of the plan. None of this was supposed to happen.”

“I don’t know,” I say, shaking my head. “I was going to ask you the same thing. She was supposed to be under Fury’s protection, not ours.”

We can’t get involved. Baron knows this. He knows the consequences, and if his feelings are as strong as I suspect they are then he’s going to get hurt. We just can’t. Acacia taught us that a long time ago.

“I can take over,” I offer.

Baron looks down at Helena, giving her one last squeeze around her neck before he slowly slides her off him.

I take his place, though she’s not as quick to cling to me like she did Baron. She stirs, moaning in discomfort.

“Shh,” I soothe. “It’s alright. Just rest, doll.”

Her eyes squint before they flutter open, settling on me. She bolts up, scrambling to her feet, eyes wide and alert.

I grab her hand, forcing her back down. “It’s okay, it’s just us.” I coax her to the floor and wrap an arm around her, while Baron squats in front of her.

“Hey, it’s okay. You’re okay, I promise. They’re gone. They’re dead.”

She calms, her eyes darting between Baron and me.

“What happened?” she says after a moment.

“It doesn’t matter,” I answer.

“Where’s Alastor?”

Baron gives me a quick glance, a sad look on his face. “We’ll find him,” he says.

She shakes me off, standing with a pained groan.

“We need to go,” she says, her voice tight.

“No.” I grab her wrist, tighter. “You need to rest. You’re too badly injured this time.”

She staggers but doesn’t fight. She just shakes her head.

“I’ll…I’ll sleep better when he’s dead.” Her words come out in slurs and I’m sure she can’t tell which of us is which. I’m not even sure she’s fully awake yet. She might think we’re another hallucination, for all we know.

“We will,” Baron reassures. “But not now. We all need medical attention, you more than the rest of us.”

“We need to find Alastor,” she protests. “We can’t let him get away.”

Baron’s gaze hardens. He sinks to his knees, pulling her down with him and tilting her chin up so she can see him clearly.

“This isn’t about Acacia anymore, Helena. This is about you.”

“We’re getting out of Austria,” I tell her.

Her eyes bug.

“What? Why? What about the bunker?”

I pause, trying to swallow down that crawling feeling in my skin.

“There’s more important things than the bunker right now,” I say. “We need to regroup.”

“Your hands need treatment and Castor’s shoulder is in rough shape.” Baron nods to her hands. She hides them almost on instinct, covering them with the burnt sleeves of her shirt.

“We’re taking refuge with Fury until we can come up with a new plan,” I tell her.

She perks up at the word, her eyes brightening with curiosity. “We?”

A large crash makes all three of us jump. Pieces of wood and drywall clatter to the ground with a loud metal clang, stirring up dust around it.

I look at the area in confusion. There’s no metal in here.

I move over to the small carpeted area, feeling around with my foot before the metal clang sounds under my foot. I kneel, tugging at the carpet until it rips, peeling back to reveal the metal underneath.

Baron and Helena join, moving away the fabric until a small hatch comes into view. Baron reaches down, pulling harshly at it until it opens with a loud squeal.

That was a door and under it is a staircase.